By Aggrey Baba
They say when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers, and in the ongoing political drama between Nyendo-Mukungwe legislator Mathias Mpuuga and his former party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), the tension is only growing thicker.
Mpuuga has in a recent interview with this publication, dismissed the recent accusations of corruption and bribery being fueled by opposition leaders, referring to NUP as nothing more than a “theatre” where political actors stage performances for public sympathy.
“I have no time to go to the theatre because I’m not an actor,” Mpuuga said. “If I were a police investigator, I would summon all the NUP leaders, one by one, for interrogations about the corruption and bribes they are talking about. Let them be in their theatre”
The hush remarks came as he responded to ongoing claims that the government had bribed MPs with UGX 100 million each to support the UPDF (Amendment) Bill, 2025, a controversial proposal seeking to reinstate the court martials power to try civilians.
Many MPs, especially from the opposition, have come out to deny receiving the said money.
While the opposition insists that brown envelopes are moving under the table, Mpuuga has turned the spotlight back on NUP, accusing his former leaders of hypocrisy and double standards, claiming that the party is using corruption allegations as a tool for political blackmail and personal benefits.
This isn’t the first time Mpuuga and NUP have locked horns. The fallout between the two intensified last year after revelations that Mpuuga had received a UGX 500 million (service award) from Parliament.
NUP accused him of abuse of office and demanded he step down as Parliamentary Commissioner, a demand he flatly rejected.
Since then, Mpuuga has positioned himself as an independent thinker, often clashing with the party line and questioning the integrity of some of his former colleagues. And in the latest storm, Mpuuga appears unmoved.
Whether this political standoff will yield accountability or merely deepen the cracks within the opposition remains to be seen. But for now, the theatre remains open, and the curtains are far from falling. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
